What to do if you're being bullied online

Sometimes it can seem like cyberbullying will never end. But there are some things you can do to make it stop.

Nobody has to go through online bullying alone. Telling someone you trust could help you report the cyber bullying and give you more confidence to deal with the situation. You could talk to a friend, an adult you trust or one of our trained counsellors.

Cyberbullying is not against the law, but harassment or threatening behaviour is. That means if someone keeps making you feel scared on purpose, what they’re doing could be illegal.

If someone’s bullying or threatening you, something can be done to stop them and you should report it to an adult you trust. If you can, keep a record of the bullying. Having a record of when and where the bullying happened can help to get it stopped. Find out more about staying safe online.

Things to remember:

Don’t keep it to yourself or try to deal with it alone. Tell an adult you trust. It can help to talk.

Don't reply to any nasty messages you receive. Keep the messages that you've been sent so you can show someone.

Don't share, comment, or like any bullying posts. Sharing or commenting could make the bullying worse.

why do people bully online?

It’s never easy to say why someone starts being hurtful to other people. Sometimes we can all say or do things we don’t mean that upset someone else.

Sometimes people choose to embarrass, upset, pick on or intimidate other people using the internet or a mobile phone because it feels safer this way. Sending a nasty message or text can be done quickly and it means the person doing the bullying can’t see how much it hurts the other person. They might feel more distant from what they're doing.

Sometimes when people tag posts with ‘self-harm’, ‘depression’ or even ‘suicide’ it can lead to other people sending them nasty messages. This could be on a site or community especially for young people going through a certain issue. They might say to the other person things like ''I hope you die.'' Bullying is always wrong and you can get support.

How cyberbullying can happen

Sexting is when someone takes a sexually explicit picture or video of themselves and then sends it to someone else. Sometimes people who are trying to bully someone may ask for these kinds of images so they can send them on to other people. Download our free Zipit app for loads of great ways to deal with sexting.

Sending abusive emails is a type of bullying. Sometimes those emails might be shared with other people who could join in the bullying. Sending computer viruses or hurtful videos and pictures by email is also online bullying.

Sometimes people might get nasty messages when they are using instant messaging or chat rooms. Sending those types of messages using someone else’s account without their permission is also online bullying.

Being abusive towards someone or harassing them on an online multi-player gaming site like Minecraft or Call of Duty is also a kind of online bullying. People may also steal or destroy your belongings or creations in games.

Sometimes people involved in bullying might post someone else's photos or personal information without that person's permission. This could include pretending to be someone else and writing fake comments or blogs.

This could be if someone is threatening to share a private or naked photo online. If you’re being threatened like this, read our advice on online grooming.

Get help with bullying videos

Bullying videos can be posted online on social media, live-streaming sites and photo sharing apps like Snapchat. If the video is of you it might make you feel worried or helpless. It can feel shocking or upsetting when you see a video like this but there are things you can do.

Some people share videos of bullying to let others know what’s happened or to catch the people doing the bullying. But it’s important you don’t post, share, comment or like videos of bullying because:

it can be very upsetting and embarrassing for people to see videos of themselves being bullied online

some young people and adults find violent content very upsetting, so it’s important you don’t share videos which others will find worrying

when you post a video online you can’t control who shares it or where it will end up. Videos can stay online permanently and impact the people who are in them. It may also stop the person being bullied from moving on.

If you see a video that shows someone you know hurting someone or being bullied themselves, tell an adult you trust, like a parent or teacher. If you're not sure who to tell, you can always speak to a Childline counsellor. You can also talk to a Childline counsellor if you see something that upsets you online, even if you don’t know the people involved.

If you’ve posted a video of someone else being hurt or shared someone else’s video it’s important that you delete it from your account to stop it being spread further. If you’ve bullied someone else and you’re feeling worried about your behaviour, take a look at our bullying advice.

3 things to try if someone's uploaded a video of you

report the video on the site it appears

don't comment on the video - it could make the bullying worse

talk to someone about it.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE BULLYING SOMEONE

Some things you can try:

Think about what you're doingThe first step is realising that you've been involved in bullying. We all make mistakes and it doesn’t make you a bad person.

Ask for some adviceTell someone you trust, like a parent, carer or teacher. They may be able to offer you some advice about what to do.

Delete the bullyingGo back and delete any upsetting or nasty posts, tweets or comments you've written.

Be the one to make a standTalk to others involved and encourage them to stop the bullying. It only takes one person to start making a big change.

Say sorryApologise to the person who was bullied and offer them support. This can mean a lot to the other person.

Learn from thisSometimes we do things without really thinking them through but the important thing is to learn from it and change the way you act in the future.

Think about what you're doing

If you use digital technology to upset, anger or embarrass someone on purpose, this means you're involved in online bullying. It might be as simple as ‘liking’ a mean post on Facebook or spreading a rumour on Twitter. The person being bullied could feel like you're part of the bullying.

Bullying can really hurt someone. It can make the person feel upset and hopeless. Sometimes it can make people self-harm or lead to them feeling suicidal. It’s important to think about how we might feel if someone said the same thing about us.

helping a friend

Being bullied can be difficult. So it could help to have a good friend to offer support.

Things you can try to help a friend:

Listen to themIt can be really helpful for them to have someone to talk things through with.

Support your friendOffering to go with them to report the bullying and help them think about what they want to say.

Write supportive commentsThis may help them feel like they aren't so alone when other people are posting negative messages.

Do things togetherThis may help to take their mind off things for a short while. You could watch a DVD, play sports or go to the cinema.